JARS v52n1 - In Memoriam: Renee Guerin Hill

In Memoriam: Renee Guerin Hill

Renee Hill, 82, a resident of Bellevue, Wash., since 1955, passed away on June 23, 1997. Her early years were spent in Alaska - her childhood in Juneau and then 20 years in the Bering Sea area. She spent many summers in survey camps across the territory of Alaska helping her father, an engineer with the Geodetic Survey, and his crew and in so doing learned to love the land and nature. Later she worked at a platinum mine on the Bering Sea as the camp "doctor."

She spent winters in Seattle and married during her forties. She was an avid gardener and loved spending time in the garden among her "treasures." On a half acre of wild woods in Bellevue, Wash., she created a garden of rhododendrons, and for her last 40 years was entranced with them. She was active in the ARS, the Rhododendron Species Foundation whose newsletter she started, the Northwest Ornamental Horticultural Society and various charities. She was an avid traveler and loved all things natural - flowers, animals, plants and people too. She is survived by her husband, John, and daughter and son-in-law.